The French flick A Prophet garnered massive amounts of praise around the world on its release a couple of years ago. Unusually Hollywood would sign on for a remake immediately, but it’s take them a couple of year, as it’s only now that Sony Pictures has announced an English language version of the film, according to Variety.
Directed by Jacques Audiard, A Prophet tells the story of a young man’s rise to power in a criminal syndicate after he is mentored by a crime boss. A Prophet was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2010 and was honoured with the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as getting nine César Awards (the French equivalent of the Oscars), including Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actor.
Producer Neal H. Moritz commented, “This is an epic crime saga with compelling characters and original storytelling. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to make an English language version of the film and I am grateful to have the trust of Jacques Audiard and his producers, as well as the writers Thomas Bidegain, Nicolas Peufaillit, and Abdel Raouf Dafri.”
Sony’s Hannah Minghella also released a statement, saying “We think A Prophet will translate perfectly for English-speaking audiences. Obviously, we love working with Neal and he has a great track record with this kind of film – we’re confident that our film will excite audiences in the same way that the original material did.”